


Dark Thunder Cries

by star_of_flame_eternal



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Crying, Demons, Gen, Good Parent John Winchester, Hurt/Comfort, Storms, but he’s doing his best, he’s stressed and grieving and makes mistakes sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2019-11-28 08:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18206147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/star_of_flame_eternal/pseuds/star_of_flame_eternal
Summary: Sam wasn’t always bothered by storms, but sometimes...he just freaked out. When he was really little, he’d wail and scream for hours until his body couldn’t take anymore and he passed out exhausted but still restless. As an adolescent, while it was no longer such complete meltdowns as before, Sam would still sob his heart out before falling into an uneasy sleep. During his teenage years, he’d be quick to lash out while he tried to choke back his tears. Now as an adult, Sam would just shiver and do his best to block out the chilling fear that came with certain storms.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I had just found a little story in which Sam was afraid of storms, and I read no further than the summary when suddenly this idea just hit me. I’ve never seen this concept done before, and thought I should write it. Basically, Sam’s psychic abilities weren’t as latent as they thought. Ever since the fire in his nursery, Sam can sense the storms that were caused by demon activity and the dark energy they give off freaks him out. 
> 
> This is just a series of snapshots of when Sam would sense when a nearby storm was demonic in nature. I want to write one or two chapters for each age group, but since each chapter could be read as a standalone, I’ve marked the story with only as many chapters as I post and I will update character tags as I go.

Dean couldn’t understand why Sammy was crying so much. It was really bad. They had been riding in the Impala for a couple of hours when a storm broke open and now sheets of rain poured over the windshield making the road nearly invisible. Sammy had started crying earlier, and while Dean hated to see his baby brother cry, his shrieks were unbearable now. Glancing in the rearview mirror, Dean saw that his daddy looked really angry. 

“Shhh Sammy, please no crying. Daddy doesn’t want you to cry no more. I don’t want you t’cry no more. Please Sammy.” Dean pleaded with the baby in the car seat next to him. 

Dean tried everything he could think of. He tried giving Sam his soothie. He tried playing with him. Tickling him. Petting him. He even tried to take Sammy out of the car seat to hold him, but his daddy wouldn’t let him since they were driving. Dean started to whimper feeling sad for his brother. Dean heard his daddy shout, then felt the car slow down. 

John parked the car on the shoulder of the road and let it idle while he turned to look back at his sons. 

“Daddy, I don’t know why Sammy’s cryin. I tried t’help him, but he won’ stop it.” Dean looked at his daddy with tear-filled eyes. 

John sighed. He unbuckled his seat belt and opened the driver’s door. Fighting the wind and rain, he got out and made his way into the backseat trying to let as little water as possible into the vehicle. He took off his rain jacket and hugged his eldest son. Kissing his head he said, “It’s alright Dean. Sammy’s just upset. He’s a baby and he can’t tell us what’s wrong because he doesn’t know the words, so all he can do is cry.”

“”But, I don’t wan’ him t’cry,” Dean sniffed. 

“I know Dean, but he can’t help it.” John let go of Dean and reached over to pull Sammy from his harness. He settled the crying baby in his arms and rocked him back and forth. 

“Shh shh Sammy, Daddy’s here,” John shushed his baby gently. 

Little Sammy’s paid no heed and his heartbreaking wails went on and on until his voice gave out and he cried himself to sleep. John rocked him through it the entire time and continued to when he saw that Sammy was still bothered even sleeping. 

“C’n I hold ‘im now, Daddy?” Dean asked.

“Sure, buddy.” John carefully transferred the tiny baby into his brother’s arms. “Just watch his head and neck, there you go. Lean back a little bit, rest on me. Here, now I’ll hold you so Sammy has enough support.”

John relaxed against the car door. His arms wrapped around his oldest and helped him keep his arms high enough by letting his own cradle Dean’s while holding Sammy. As they rode out the storm, John looked down at what was left of his family and promised himself he would keep his boys safe, no matter the cost. 

\---

Later that night long after the storm had let up, John found a decent motel and checked them in to a room. Sammy had woken up a few hours ago, but thankfully, he seemed to be settled now and had fallen into an easy sleep. He tucked Dean into one bed and laid Sammy down next to him using a couple of rolled up towels to keep the baby from flipping over or falling off the bed. 

John turned on the TV to check the upcoming weather and fell asleep sitting up on the other bed. Had he managed to stay awake for just another fifteen minutes, he would’ve learned about a couple’s murder-suicide in their apartment downtown, strange cattle mutilations in the next town over, and a grouping of electrical storms like the one he’d been caught in out on the road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, after writing this, I went back and _actually read_ the story whose summary inspired me. (If anyone cares, the fic was Storm Warning by Scribble2Much on FFNet.) It was pretty good, and I loved the last line. The author doesn’t seem too active anymore, but I’m giving a shout out to them anyway.
> 
>  
> 
> I'd love to hear what you thought, just please be respectful.
> 
> Thanks for reading ~Star


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> toddler Sammy

Dean would be the first person to tell someone that Sammy as a toddler was the cutest thing ever. He would also be the first to say that Sammy as a toddler was the most frustrating thing ever. Dean loved his Sammy, but sometimes it was hard to take care of him. He was always making noises and getting into things which was bad because Dad had lots of weapons. He even let Dean shoot guns sometimes, but Sammy was too little and he could get hurt if he touched any of them. It really frustrated their dad, especially when he was working. But currently, his tiny little brother wasn’t getting into anything for once. It was much worse. Sammy was screaming his head off and nothing either Dean or John tried to do to make him quiet worked. 

It hadn’t been raining when Sam first started to whimper here and there. But the sky had quickly darkened and as the first droplets of water hit the motel window and the sound of distant thunder rumbled threateningly, the small child was sobbing in earnest. At first, John had tried to warm up some milk. Sam didn’t really take a bottle anymore, but sometimes it would help him to settle on a rough night. Dean tried to distract his brother by offering to play with his little plastic soldier men with him. Unfortunately, Sammy was having none of it and continued to wail. 

Soon, they heard rapping knocks against their door. Dean watched as their Dad answered it and attempted to excuse the toddler’s racket.

“Sir, a couple of other patrons have expressed their annoyance at the noise. I realize young children can be difficult, but you must get him to be quiet.”

“I’m trying. He’s really freaked out by the storm and he won’t quit. You’re other guests are just gonna have to deal until he puts himself to sleep or the storm stops.” 

Dean was glad when their Dad shut the door in the other guy’s face. People just didn’t understand that they couldn’t push his family around. Dean didn’t fully understand why Sammy was crying either, but he knew it wasn’t his fault and he would most likely cry himself to sleep eventually. It happened before a few times when a major storm hit. It was strange though. Not all storms would make his brother cry so much, but Sammy just decided that he didn’t like some of them. 

It wasn’t long before the storm really hit the motel. 

“Well, they won’t hear much of Sam over that thunder and all this wind,” their dad commented as he sat heavily on the bed trying to placate the crying toddler. 

Eventually, both John and Dean were exhausted and had trouble not freaking out themselves. They had even brought out Sammy’s old soothie in an attempt to make him calm down. Everything was fraught with tension and Dean could tell that his Dad was at his wit’s end and he, himself, felt like he could start crying right alongside Sammy. 

The windows rattled when a blinding streak of lightning lit up the ratty motel room brightly followed by the crashing sound of thunder. Little Sammy only cried harder as Dean tried to wrap him up in his blanket thinking that if he could make Sammy feel like he was hidden from whatever he was crying over, he would stop. Dean felt his Dad lay down beside him. Together, the small family huddled on the bed to ride the storm out.

\- - -

After another tense hour, the storm let up and moved on. Sammy had finally cried himself hoarse and fell into a restless slumber. Dad had gotten up a bit ago to get them water and some crackers as Dean continued to sit with the youngest. Come morning, John would head out on a new hunt to question the local farmer’s about their cattle keeling over dead with no explanation other than unusual injuries without any blood.


End file.
